What do you think football should do to improve reffing?

**Rodion Romanovich** · 07-17-2006, 18:31

I think the following directives to refs would be useful:
- anything seeming like an attempt to hurt an opposing player to put him out of action EARLY on in a game should be punished harshly. Rather than having less tendency to give red cards early on, the refs should have more tendency to give red cards early on.
- if it seems like a player is attempting to put an opposing player out of action, the ref should give red and/or yellow card, but also be able to give the victim team 1 or 2 extra substitution chances added to the existing 3.
- if you lie down on the ground for longer than 10 seconds after what the refs can see is a diving, you shouldn't be allowed to continue playing, but be forced to be substituted. However if it wasn't a diving but an attempt of the opponent to put the player of out action, an extra substitution or two could be added to the victim team. A "neutral" caused injury, deemed to be caused by neither violence by the opponent nor being judged as a fake and a diving, should also result in forced substitution but no punishment for either side.
- never stop the game for injured player until a player has been lying on the ground for more than 10 seconds, in which case any of the above rules will apply, or until the refs reviewing replays have detected an offense giving free-kick or similar.
- if a player is carried off the field on the stretchers, he shouldn't be allowed to continue playing
- accidents should be judged almost as harshly as deliberate collissions. If it's clear that the victim of the collission didn't deliberately get himself into that position, the other player should be considered guilty of having carried out the offense deliberately. Just aiming your foot or elbow, then looking away when the actual collission takes place as a method of looking innocent shouldn't work.
- moving the free-kick forward more than 10 centimeters should give a yellow card. Moving the throw forward more than 2 meters should give a yellow card.
- don't stop the game for free-kick etc. until it's been established by watching replays that the situation calls for stopping the game.

And the following equipment to refs:
- automatically measure the additional time to add by digital high-precision equipment so it isn't arbitrary
- camera replays should be reviewed each time there has been a collission, diving or injury, to find out the truth. Similarly goals and offsides shouldn't be judged until watching the camera replays. Players should be asked not to cheer before the ref calls goal or not goal, breaking that rule should lead to a yellow card.

I think this is what is required to make football a sport again. With all the divings, the game gets stopped all the time, often during fast counter-attacks that could have led to scoring, with the result that football games on average end with 1-0 in OT or penalty shots or similar. The result of ref directives and equipment such as what is given above, would be more goals, more fluent play, and more entertainment.

**Dutch_guy** · 07-17-2006, 18:58

Originally Posted by Legio

And the following equipment to refs:
- automatically measure the additional time to add by digital high-precision equipment so it isn't arbitrary
- camera replays should be reviewed each time there has been a collission, diving or injury, to find out the truth. Similarly goals and offsides shouldn't be judged until watching the camera replays. Players should be asked not to cheer before the ref calls goal or not goal, breaking that rule should lead to a yellow card.

especially the latter should be added, maybe not for every foul (as it would make the game to controlled by the ref.) but definatly when the ref. is in doubt. How they manage to put such a ...''feature'' in the game, without killing it, I don't know really. I suppose the referees could simply use the big screen which today is placed at both end of the pitch.

The cheering rule is in my opinion rather unimportant, who are you hurting exactly by cheering ?

I think this is what is required to make football a sport again. With all the divings, the game gets stopped all the time, often during fast counter-attacks that could have led to scoring, with the result that football games on average end with 1-0 in OT or penalty shots or similar. The result of ref directives and equipment such as what is given above, would be more goals, more fluent play, and more entertainment.

Well I think Diving should be punished not by a card, but by a time-penalty. The length of such a penalty should be decided upon the frequency of such a dive. For every first dive you add half a minute, then one minute, then 2 etc. etc. Cards are only of importance if a player already has one, I have yet to see a player get a direct red card for a dive, which is why I deem a time penalty to be a safer, and more damaging approach to the problem.

If such a thing is implemented, the diving players have a risk of giving the other team those valuable extra minutes to score that winning goal, which in my opinion is a better punishment than throwing cards around.

**Rodion Romanovich** · 07-17-2006, 19:04

Originally Posted by Dutch_guy

The cheering rule is in my opinion rather unimportant, who are you hurting exactly by cheering ?

Perhaps not necessary, but many refs feel threatened and don't dare to call off goals if the "scorer" (who really didn't score) cheers.

Originally Posted by Dutch_guy

Well I think Diving should be punished not by a card, but by a time-penalty. The length of such a penalty should be decided upon the frequency of such a dive. For every first dive you add half a minute, then one minute, then 2 etc. etc. Cards are only of importance if a player already has one, I have yet to see a player get a direct red card for a dive, which is why I deem a time penalty to be a safer, and more damaging approach to the problem.

If such a thing is implemented, the diving players have a risk of giving the other team those valuable extra minutes to score that winning goal, which in my opinion is a better punishment than throwing cards around.

Yes, time penalty might be a good idea. As long as there's a penalty I'm fine.

**Dutch_guy** · 07-17-2006, 19:16

Originally Posted by LegioXXXUlpiaVictrix

Perhaps not necessary, but many refs feel threatened and don't dare to call off goals if the "scorer" (who really didn't score) cheers.

Well in cases where the ref. can't see if the ball passed the line or not, his linesman tells him if it was or wasn't. The ref. then makes up his mind according to his colleague, his decision isn't based on a cheering player I daresay.

It's why you always see the player run to the linesman when a goal is cancelled, not to the ref.